Developers are slashing apartment prices and handing out tens of thousands of dollars in incentives – including rebates, cars, furniture and holidays – to lure buyers into Melbourne’s new-unit market.

While many industry players say the offers are good news for buyers, others worry that the discounting could fuel a “race to the bottom” that could harm property values.

“There’s no question there are a lot of apartments under construction, so everyone’s trying to attract attention to get people to inquire about theirs,” said Robert Pradolin, general manager at developer Australand.

“It’s probably a very good time to buy because there are a lot of incentives around, but buyers still need to be really careful that they are picking a place based on its location, quality and who the developer is.”

In one case, Maxx Apartments announced a “massive St Kilda apartments sale” in a series of large advertisements. The promotion saw $121,000 cut from the cost of a two-bedroom flat and the price of a $415,000 one-bedroom unit reduced by 18 per cent.

Late last year, a $65,000 Mercedes was offered to the first buyer of one of four luxury apartments that remained unsold in a Brighton development. Rubicon Pacific used the teaser despite already dropping prices by $150,000 to $200,000 on apartments first listed at up to $1.3 million.

Other developers have followed suit, launching campaigns that provided $5000 to $20,000 rebates on top of the $13,000 available to first home buyers before July 1. Some have tried to lure investors with offers of guaranteed rental income for up to five years….